WSU adds home-and-home with Houston for 2019, 2020

Washington State has added a home-and-home series with Houston to its non-conference slate in 2019 and 2020, Athletic Director Bill Moos announced Monday.

The series will begin in Houston on Sept. 19, 2019 and return to Pullman on Sept. 12, 2020. With Houston now in the fold, WSU has filled its non-conference dates for both seasons — they’ll host Northern Colorado and BYU in 2019, then travel to Utah State before hosting Idaho in 2020.

“In recent years Houston has been one of the top programs in the country,” Moos said in the press release. “I believe our fans will enjoy having another quality nonconference opponent in Martin Stadium.”

Houston, playing the the American Athletic Conference, went 22-4 over the last two seasons under Tom Herman, who is now the head coach at Texas. The Coogs are now coached by Major Applewhite, who served as Herman’s offensive coordinator for two seasons.

Washington State leads the all-time series between the two schools, 2-1, though this will be their first meeting since the 1988 Aloha Bowl, when the WSU won 24-22.

WSU was previously expected to play Central Michigan in 2019 and 2021, though the two schools agreed to mutually terminate the contract last September. No offense to the Chippewas, but replacing Central Michigan with Houston is obviously a positive.

Throughout his career, Mike Leach has never been one to schedule top-shelf, power-five non-conference opponents, which the future schedule will show, so the Kansas State’s and Houston’s of the college football world will have to suffice for WSU fans.

Here’s a look at Washington State’s future non-conference schedule, as it stands today.